Goin' South

Don't break anything.

My Morning Wooten

Keeping it simple today.

Are you suffering Obama Fatigue?

I've heard this subject raised twice in the past 24 hours. The first time was on the Sean Hannity radio program. Enough said.

Songs In My Head

AJC Twitters

A typically bitchy"tweet" from Rusty Tanton about the AJC leads to an interview with Director of Online Development Chris Heisel and External Communications Manager Jennifer Morrow.

Bottom line: AJC is in your twitter scanning your complaints.

Pretty forward thinking from the dead tree folks. Even though I spend a lot of time slagging the local fish wrapper, I have met some of the online folks and despite the lofty pronouncements of some of the higher-ups, they understand the need for positive relationships with the online communities.

Martin And Jones On What Is Goin' On?

Primary day tomorrow.

Still haven't made up your mind? Maybe Wilson can help.

Listen to his interview with Vernon Jones here.

Money quotes: "Jim Martin is too liberal for Georgia. Even Saxby Chambliss is too liberal for Georgia".

"Fish don't go to work. People do".

And then check out Jim Martin here.

Powell Hearing Postponed

The Powell residency hearing has been postponed due to the judge recusing himself. Now what the hell am I going to do with myself today? Any porn kings being arrested?

A Legend Passes

Skip Caray, 1939-2008

"A woman walks into a bar, sidles up to a sportscaster and says "For $100, I'll do anything you want". The sportscaster slaps a hundred dollar bill on the bartop and says "Do the pre-game show tomorrow". ~joke told by Caray just a few weeks before his death

Saturday Stupids

Moving day!

My Morning.....Er Nevermind

Wooten gets a pass today. Frankly, after the fire and lightning of the past two days, it seems a little dull. And its mostly economic which always boring and Jim and I even tend to agree on those sorts of things. And that just isn't any fun.

Have a good weekend, Jim.

The Rhetorical Bermuda Triangle

This is some damned good advice.

h/t: Thomas

Thin Skin

So in my discussions on internet ethics eventually someone will ask, "why so thin skinned?"

Well, by God, here's why.

Feb. 19, 2007: AJC Editor tells us all her paper is going to show us how it should be done in the online world.

March 18, 2007: Creative Loafing's Murray Grievous states collaboration between new and traditional media may never be possible.

June 7, 2007: GPB's Susanne Capaluto at an APC event calls bloggers "entertainers".

June 17, 2007: Athens Banner Herald editor Jim Thompson uses a commentor as an example of why the mainstream media's use of real names gives it credibility.

Dec. 17, 2007: UGA journalism professor David Hazinski says "citizen journalisism" has the strong probability of fraud and abuse.

Dec. 21, 2007: Athens Banner-Herald writer Blake Aued tells bloggers "When y’all start doing your own reporting, rather than rely on rumors, press releases and the dreaded MSM, then you can call yourselves journalists".

July 29, 2008: Macon Telegraph's Travis Fain snidely referring to BloggerGuy09.

July 30, 2008: Creative Loafing Editor Ken Edelstein wondering how we can trust any anonymous blogger.

So the next time you think something written about bloggers is clever or original, it probably isn't. And the next time you ask us why our skin is so thin, we may respond, "why because of all the gentle pats on the back you've given us!"

Spitting Tacks

I'm not sure which pisses me off more.

Andre's not-so-contrite disclosure.

Or Creative Loafing Ken Edelstein's clinging to the "anonymous=less credibility" canard - with an anonymous commenter defending Ken just to complete the irony.

Actually I do know what causes my spleen to lurch with the most violence. Exactly as I feared Andre's shenanigans have given opportunity for those in the traditional media to shout "told you so!" His half ass explanations and not so apologetic apologies are only making matters worse.

And it would have been so simple. Come out with some mea culpa. For God's sake, most of us gave him a pass on his half-ass retraction of the false GAE-DPG story. But not this time. This time, we receive nothing but unrepenant sneering, So at least on this blog, it will be met with no mercy. None at all.

UPDATE: JESUS GOD! How many times do I have to explain my view of anonymity and the internet? For those who still don't get it please read HERE.

My Morning Wooten

It's gonna be short today because my spleen is venting in a different direction.

Jim trying to argue that an increase in enforcement is the cause for the drop in illegal immigration:

The population of illegals has declined 11 percent in the past year, from 12.5 million to 11.2 million...The economy certainly has something to do with it.

No kidding.

Into The Ethical Woods

I'm not going to pile on. Really I'm not. Although given the past arrogance of Georgia Politics Unfiltered owner Andre Walker (eagerly chastising his fellow bloggers, not crediting those who get a story first, not so humbly bragging about his traffic in comparison to others and perhaps tellingly not supporting his fellow bloggers unless they are associates), it would be easy to do. Wait, maybe I just parenthetically did.

But there is a bigger issue at play here.

Atlanta Progressive News outing of Andre as a stooge for the David Scott campaign exposes every person who writes about politics through the veil of a blog to criticisms we've all heard too often. Only this time, the nabobs can roll out an actual incident as proof. The already steep hill which we travel just had a Sisyphus stone added.

Ken Edelstein, Editor of Creative Loafing:

For that matter, how can the average reader even tell who bloggers actually are when they use pen names like Rogue109 (another Peach Pundit poster) and decaturguy? It’s a principle of the blogosphere that people get to be anonymous. That may be an unavoidable part of the nature of the medium. But if influential bloggers are anonymous, how can you where there bread is buttered?

I've already covered anonymity. It is a fact of life of online existence and it would behoove us all to understand it. To not and continue using it as a rhetorical baseball bat instead of scalpel would be as fair as me using the term journalists so generally as to cover both Seymour Hersh and Jayson Blair. It is neither fair nor accurate. Terms I'm sure Edelstein and his fellow print jockeys treasure.

But it is fair game. And due to Andre's sin, all the careful work of the past years trying to bridge this gap of understanding may unravel. Andre credits few but now his actions have tarred many.

And of course the act of one stray in the herd leads others to the trough of self-loathing.

Juliana Illiari of Blog For Democracy:

"I don't think anyone who blogs believes there are standards and practices right now. You'd have a hard time finding anyone who could agree. It's basically, use at your own risk this information, by virtue of its very nature. Anyone can get them, they're free. You read it and you have to consider what the opinion is"

Love ya, Jules, but that isn't quite right. True, the blogosphere is the free market of ideas gone wild and you will never see me shy away from telling people to obey caveat emptor. However, there are some rules that anyone who dares use the word "publish" with their work should follow. They are plain common sense and we all know them.

Two words for all bloggers: Source and disclose.

Sourcing is the murkiest of waters for bloggers. By the very open nature of the online world, bloggers receive information as clear as press releases and as opaque as anonymous tips. It is up to each blog to determine its standards for publication. However, the further one goes down the dark hall of anonymity, the greater the risk becomes. Andre experienced this less than deadly sin earlier this year by publishing a story based purely on anonymous sources. The poorly sourced house of cards quickly fell apart and Andre issued to my knowledge the first open retraction in the history of the Georgia blogosphere.

Disclosure is much easier. If you wear a sock puppet don't pretend your arm magically turned into a talking creature. If you take money tell your readers. Sock puppetry is one of the deadly sins of the online world. Few recover crossing this hard line.

Given his rather public penance, Andre may have survived the first sin, but given the severity of the second, his credibility may never recover.

And thanks to his latest "contribution" to the our little world, we will all be required to work a little harder.

My own disclosure: I've never taken one penny of money from a campaign or anyone else. The closest money has ever come to my little world was a brief period where I consulted for Insider Advantage on strategies to approach bloggers. Something which I fully disclosed at the time.

Beer

Wait a second? They have a beer podcast!

Tony, Thomas, Garrett, Seth, Rusty and I dive into the difference between Bud Light and Miller Light.

Yes, children. There is a difference.

Listen to the Sub-Optimal Beer Episode Here.

There has to be an absolute Zima.

Taped at the recent star of Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives. The Highlander.

Senate Debate Live Blogging

In case you haven't heard (and you probably haven't) there's a debate tonight between Democratic Senate candidates Vernon Jones and Jim Martin.

Fellow traveler in the weird underbelly of Atlanta, Thomas Wheatley will live blog it for the Loaf.

Scribe from the hinterlands and occasional foil, Blake Aued will live blog it for the Athens Banner Herald.

As for me? I can no longer stand the grunts of those seeking access to the trough. I'll be drinking cheap beer and listening to Toby Keith.

More Hate

Reason number 10,256 why liberals lose.

Huffington Post's Max Blumenthal's screed on Toby Keith's song "Beer For My Horses":

While Keith belted out "Beer For My Horses," Colbert's studio audience clapped to the beat, blithely unaware that they were swaying to a racially tinged, explicitly pro-lynching anthem that calls for the vigilante-style hanging...

Anyone who has listened to the song in THE PAST SIX YEARS understands that Keith's rather campy ode owes more to Clint Eastwood than Leo Frank.

But for liberal's just now discovering this literary treatise, it is confirmation of the long held suspicion that country music is filled with subtexts of hate and violence.

And they wonder why the NASCAR crowd generally hates them.

P.S. Note to HuffPo people. You might want to soliticit the opinion of that famous dope smoking right winger Willie Nelson who appeared in the video. Of course its understandable why you didn't know old cousin Willie was hanging out with the horrible Toby. I mean who would want to soil their precious hands by ever changing the channel to CMT?

My Morning Wooten

Lord help me, Jim is actually making sense this morning. His description of the Atlanta pension mess and how similar missteps is the bane of local government is spot on. He even deflects some of the usual Atlanta hate by noting other systems including the infamous state of Georgia "golden parachute" system cause all politicians headaches. So instead, I'm going to focus on one sentence to focus on a very different point.

AJC reporter Cameron McWhirter captured the essence of it in noting that Mayor Shirley Franklin and City Council “made key decisions to sweeten pensions for city workers that have put Atlanta in a budgetary bind that will take years to escape.”

From on, Jim, before you roll out your favorite canard about the liberal media (including your own employer) always providing cover for liberal politicians, you are required to repeat the above sentence five times. Truth hurts. Both for politicians and pundits.

Selah.

More Media Navel Gazing

It's becoming a tradition for those in the traditional media to confess, self-analyze and sometimes self-immolate.

Travis Fain of the Macon Telegraph and the blog Lucid Idiocy is the latest to dip into the murky waters of the apparent downward spiral of print journalism.

I will grant Travis one thing. Even though he can't resist a poke (Bloggerguy09?Really?), he also asks some hard questions of his own industry and their disappearing readers.

Check it out and give him thoughts.

Powell Hearing Scheduled

Creative Loafing has the details.

Jim Powell’s appeal has been scheduled for Monday, Aug. 4 at 3 p.m. in Fulton County Superior Court.

No word if the hearing will be open. If memory serves they are but usually no one shows up because no one cares. This time might be a little different.

For background on the PSC story check here, here and here.

My Morning Wooten

The isn't-ironic-I-work-in-the-very-medium-in-which-I-scourge edition.

For the next month or so, try this experiment with television or radio newscasts: Tune in at random at any time of the day for a minute or an hour. What public figure is being discussed? And is the coverage favorable? On what scale: Fawning, adoring, determined to convince you that he’s best qualified to be president, or simply reflecting what the reporter or commentator believes to be the common view?

I encourage you to try my experiment as well. Read media reports on a certain shift in foreign policy that occured in the beginning of 2002 and apply Jim's standards. I wonder what you will find.

Senate Debate On Kudzu

Sparks fly when Democratic Senate candidates Vernon Jones and Jim Martin appear on the Democratic talk show Kudzu Vine.

Listen here.

You Put Your Weed In It

Just watch

My Morning Wooten

We're gonna have some fun this morning!

Nobody will let me have my first choice as vice president on the John McCain ticket. That’d be former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

The Bush obsession continues. Keep typing, Jim. Maybe one day you will succeed in convincing history to view the last eight years as ponies and rainbows.

Little-noticed changes that matter a great deal build the Sonny Perdue legacy. A prime example is the Georgia Technology Authority’s plan to contract with private-sector vendors to operate computer systems for 11 agencies. About 500 state workers will move to the private sector and about 200 jobs will be eliminated. Technology changes too quickly for government procurement. And, too, why hire the excess help needed for emergencies when the private sector can provide three or 300 when needed? Great move.

It's a fantastic move! A legacy builder for any Governor! In fact it's such a fantabulous policy move, the transition towards privatization including the creation of the GTA out of the Department of Administrative Services and its first major act of privatizing the massive state telecom infrastructure began under Governor Roy Barnes.

Don’t retire the odd-even watering police just yet. China deals with its Olympics-related traffic problems by ordering odd-even driving days. Why add road capacity when you can simply order drivers off the road?

We don't have the Russkies anymore so I guess we'll have to settle with the Chi-Coms. Anyone else notice how we seem to hear that old 50's term more and more these days? And everyone knows the alternate transportation hippies are only a thin sliver from full bore, Little Red Book Maoists. Unlike our good God fearing, "free market", pavement-solves-all-woes road builders.

When a public official, tasked with responsibility to reduce payroll by 2.5 percent, announces that 53 police and 27 fire vacancies won’t be filled, as Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin did, you gotta believe it’s a game.

On the other hand, when a Republican tasked with difficult budget choices makes difficult cuts, it is fiscal restraint in hard times.

A nation cannot be safe from terrorism if its people think asking them a security-related question is an outrage, or worse, a reason to sue. This is what passes for a major revelation in today’s politically correct, touchy-feely world: From The Associated Press, this first paragraph: “The Justice Department’s former top criminal prosecutor says the government’s terror watch list has caused thousands of innocent Americans to be questioned, searched or otherwise hassled.” Goodness gracious. Can this nation survive in a world where people really are trying to kill us?

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

It's a wonder we ever survived the first 200 years following that politically correct, touchy-feely thing called the Constitution.

We really are becoming a nation where the elite in academia and the media are guerrillas determined to destroy corporations they don’t like —- tobacco, insurance, “predatory” lenders and oil, for example. An example is a report from Harvard researchers purporting to show that tobacco companies have “manipulated” menthol levels in cigarettes to keep customers. Imagine the crime of that.

Given that the CEO's of every major cigarette manufacturer testified there is no manipulation in their product we don't have to imagine far. It's called fraud.

Blaming Southern foods and “metro Atlanta’s car-crazy culture” for obesity is the same as blaming guns for crime. The CDC finds the South to be the nation’s fattest region. People make choices. They are responsible. Not the fried chicken, gravy, fried pies or biscuits. How long will it be before some do-gooder suggests shutting down all-you-can-eat buffets?

I'm betting the day some "do-gooder" actually succeeds in a loony idea like shutting down the feed troughs will be the same day certain dailies start requiring certain editorial writers fact check their pieces before publication.

Selah.

What Is Goin' On: Griftdrift On The Primary

Wilson and I have some fun talking about the primaries and the presidential election. Wilson's been cynical lately so I try to give him some hope. Note this took place before I found my hate home again. Good thing for certain "so-called conservatives" the interview was yesterday and not today.

Listen here.

More Hate

Habitat for Humanity is trying something new.

The Atlanta-based nonprofit, which builds homes for people in need, is expected to announce Thursday the launch of a microloan program in partnership with the Maryland-based Calvert Foundation. It will allowindividuals to invest in — rather than simply donate to — Habitat's philanthropic mission.

We have a private foundation which aids the working poor without government assistance and it is now trying an innovation which has been so successful in other countries it won a guy the Nobel Peace Prize.

It is so dead in the black of libertarian philosophy it makes one weep.

You would think "so called conservatives" would also praise such success with private rather than government intervention. And surely some do.

But not all.

Wonderful. Here’s more on the plan. This program really does a good job keeping people living in economically un-viable areas. Just the ticket for feel good liberals.

Remember the rules chickens: Government trying to help anyone is doomed to failure because it is incompetent and evil. Non-governmental agencies trying help someone is still doomed because it will be run by lie-bur-als and they are inherently idiots.

Fear and Loathing In Griftdriftville

People keep wanting to call me a Democrat. It's true I mostly hang with the Ds because unlike the Rs, they actually invite me to their reindeer games - where I start talking about guns, the NEA or dissolving the Department of Education to see the look on their faces.

Fine.

I'm a democrat. A South Park democrat. I hate liberals but I really f*cking hate conservatives.

To be the hate one most know the hate. To know the hate one must examine the hate.

Let's take a look at what I consider the two of the harshest comments on the Georgia blogs in the last few days.

First from the left - a commenter at Blog For Democracy speaking of Senate candidate Vernon Jones:

you can get far, even if you are an ultraright douchebag running in a supposedly Democratic primary like vernon jones.

A touch juvenile with just a hint of screaming mimi. But it is the internet. What exactly do you expect?

Now let's look to the right and the state's paragon of righteous rightness Erick Erickson.

Why? Because the media has become the self-appointed propaganda master for Barack Obama’s campaign. The media has become Leni Riefenstahl.

If Mr. Godwin isn't in the house, he's peeking through the door.

This is the latest metastization of the Republican equation which states if the media doesn't report things the way I like them (in other words in a way that fits my agenda alone) it must be biased. Erickson simply adds an additional factor to the math. But comparing the network news to a nazi propagandist partially responsible for the rise of Hitler is a leap of herculean proportions.

And yet, many on the right will stare straight into your face with cherubic eyes and claim they don't understand why people hate them.

So for now, mark me down with a small d. For today at least, I don't want to be anywhere near the big R scum scrapers.

Mistaken Headlines

Martin impresses as United see off Orlando Pirates

For a second I thought a Georgia candidate had declared war on Florida. Given the water situation...

Dinosaur Hunting

Local gonzologer John Sugg writes of the demise of print journalism in the Columbia Journalism Review. His analysis of the local bird cage liner is scathing.

I live in Atlanta, where the Journal-Constitution has turned itself into a joke. As with most major dailies, it has become timid—afraid even to hire a metro columnist over anxiety that that person would have an independent base. Its coverage of the Bush administration and the Iraq war has been pathetic. It has withheld news that might offend Georgia’s white racists (as chronicled in the recent book Buried in Bitter Waters, by, incredibly, a Cox Washington reporter, Elliott Jaspin), and it gives many incompetent and corrupt black politicians a free pass because it’s afraid it will be called racist.

I tend to vacillate between hope and despair for print journalism . A deep dark secret is I like newspapers and I mean real, honest-to-god, slabs of dead tree dailies. I'm one of those guys who picks up the paper every day - actually refuses to get a subscription because I like the feel of plopping down a couple of quarters on the newstand and talking to the clerk about the headline.

But after reading John's piece, pondering the recent AJC layoffs and remembering how a CNN Online editor once explained how he could run his entire operation (news only, not IT) with five staff, the downhill slide into the fossilizing tar pits seems inevitable.

The Third Way

Sometimes, I think Jmac and I might have been separated at birth.

Now, listen to me carefully here, I'm not the kind of guy who's going to sit here and tell you that we shouldn't be drilling up in Alaska so we can save ar[c]tic animals or off our coasts because we'll pollute our oceans. While those issues do factor in my mind, it's also quite clear we have technology that can enable us to explore for oil in targeted areas in an environmentally responsible way...The problem, though, isn't totally over environmental or aesthetic concerns, but feasibility ones. There is sparse evidence to suggest there is ample supplies buried beneath the continental shelf to make an impact, and what is there would provide minimal, if any, immediate impact on $4-plus gallon gas ...

I'm a little more open to off-shore drilling if it would affect the speculator market but otherwise this is exactly my point of view.

My Morning.....Er Late Monday Wooten

Guess I'm a little late.

Let's see what Jim's up to. Maybe some talking points?

Democrats, divided for months over whether to offer the first black or the first woman for president, have a solution to their dilemma. The Green Party has chosen Cynthia McKinney.

Yes, yes. The Democratic Party has as much to do with the Greens as the Republican Party has to do with the Birchers. (I could have been far more tasteless here but the hate wasn't in my heart today)

Dang. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki turns out to be a Nancy Pelosi Democrat. The clue is in the headline: “Iraq handing out cash to citizens on the streets.” She’s proposing another round of “stimulus” rebates to add to the deficit since the first one worked so well.

Ahhhhhh, remember those halcyon days of yore, filled with purple fingers, when Maliki was "our guy"? Then he had to go start agreeing with Obama. Tut-tut.

The ball’s in your court, Congress. Both the president and Congress have to act to lift the ban on expanded offshore exploration. Bush did. Thanks. And it may or may not be a coincidence that the price of oil dropped $6.44 a barrel the next day. When buyers —- or speculators, as Democrats prefer to call them —- think we’re serious about doing something, they’ll react in anticipation. It’s now up to Congress to follow suit.

Might be a coincidence because it is. Shall we apply the razor? Could it be the oil speculation bubble finally hit its peak and bursts or because the least liked President since, well, forever, says he wants to drill in a place where we don't know exactly how much oil exists, we don't currently have the rigs to find it and even if that falls into place, it would not affect supply for at least ten years. I'll let you make the call.

Comparing the Gwinnett straw poll today on MARTA to the referendum nearly 40 years ago is meaningless. Different county, different people. Once again in unison: Dirt’s permanent, people aren’t. Which is why it’s foolish to assign personality traits or values to place. I hate it when those in neighboring counties to the south speak of my county, Cobb, based on the stereotypes of yesteryear. Same with Gwinnett.

Well, if you stop doing silly things like putting ridiculous creationist's stickers in Biology books ( which happened only three years ago, not forty), we promise to stop pointing them out!

Good thing for Jim I took the weekend off. With no hate in my heart, I may have let him up easy.

Selah.

My Morning Wooten

Really.

Barack Obama is a guy who picks up words and phrases from Category A and Category B briefing papers so that he sounds knowledgeable but says nothing.

Kind of like editorial columnists who lazily repeat right wing radio talking points instead of cogitating an original thought?

Gonzo Primary

Reporting plausibly live from Manuel's Tavern. No notebook. It would be a dead giveaway, the room is full of Democrats and they are feeling bloody. Random notes on the fly. Anonymity is the only protection for the faded and jaded. But onward we must go.

*"I don't know anyone in that room" "You have to wait until the polls close, all the young uns are still out working the field"

*"I think we were talking about smacking Matt around when his business partner Chuck walked by"

*"Steve Davis will trounce his opponent" "It's 51-49" Silence

*"After watching many elections I've learned there are few surprises" "What about Paul Broun and Roy Barnes?" "I'll give you Paul Broun"

*Sen. Nan Orrock seen chatting with former 10th District Candidate James Marlow asking what his next move is and upon seeing a shady blogger nearby hurrying off to a dark corner.

*" Don't worry, it's only Satan. The son of Satan isn't with him."

*"You tipped her too much. You think she's cute!"

*Allen Buckley supporters bumrush the 11Alive live set and get on the 11:00pm newscast. Unfamiliarity with the seven second delay causes much shuffling and frustration. Democrats strangely amused.

*Rev. Lowery is still a sweetheart but its difficult watching legends grow old.

*No fights. No orgies. No dice.

Selah.

Signs? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Signs!

There are various reports of poll signs still saying PSC candidate Jim Powell is still disqualified despite a judges stay.

Public Service Commission candidate Jim Powell says voters from all over the state are telling him signs noting he was disqualified and votes for him would not be counted were still hanging at the polls as late as 1 p.m. today — almost a full day after a judge told Secretary of State Karen Handel she could not boot him off the ballot.

Just to make the already perverse step a little further on the wild side there are also reports of polling places with absolutely disqualified state Sen. District 36 candidate Eric Underwood on the ballot but with no clarifying signs.

When I endorsed Sec. Handel in 2006, the prime reason was my belief in her administrative abilities. Despite my "defense" of Handel in the Powell affair, I believe this chaos caused by the Secretary's last minute decision to disqualify several candidates requires explanation. Otherwise, all those recent whispers of higher office may wisp away on lost zephyrs.

About As Low As You Can Get

St. Cloud, Fl. businessman Mike Meehan just wants to help Republicans.

To be fair local Republicans have repudiated the billboard and it is the work of one lone douchebag. But still...

Let's Get A Few Things Straight

Karen Handel Is Not Katherine Harris - And this is not 2000. And the PSC sure as hell is not the President Of The US. It would be simple to say Harris is an idiot and leave it at that. But Kitty is also a meglomaniacal, crazy idiot who clearly placed party above policy in such blatant fashion that even hard-core Republicans blanched and in later years left her to wander in the wilderness. Handel, although arguably just as partisan, is far more clever.

Also, despite the wailing, what Handel did was clearly legal. Harris, the Florida Supreme Court and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court actions in 2000 were, to be kind, dead in the gray.

And just to repeat, the PSC is not the President. If you want to make the argument that this is another example of a Republican trodding on long standing traditions of the roles of Constitutional arguments then you've got a winner. If you get overwrought with outlandish rhetoric to the point it turns people off then it will lose steam. Just some friendly advice.

Of Course It Is Partisan - I've only said it three times on my own blog and on several other blogs. Even called it dirty. Some are building a case that it is the latest in a series of partisan moves by Handel and that appears to be a strong argument. That's good! That is absolutely a fair issue and should be used against any future Handel candidacy. Blatant partisanship is pure red meat to independents like myself.

But continuing to ignore where I acknowledge this fact because you perceive I should be more upset is like a cold shower to an independent. The more you compare Handel's move to [insert dictator here], the more likely am I to dismiss your entire argument as the lunacy of the unbalanced.

Powell and the Law - I wrote that piece for two reasons - I have some experience with that system and it is a byzantine area where I believed some clarity for all would be helpful. For that, I was called a "shill for Handel". Thanks. Now, I have another answer when someone ask me why I'm not a Democrat.

UPDATE: And since this is now popping up on the other side's corrals, let me add, saying that there is no possibility of political motivation in Handel's decision is just as stupid as comparing the Secretary of State's office to Iran. You guys are probably going to win and everybody likes a winner. But nobody likes a gloater. A mistake Republicans frequently make.

Powell and the Law

The frenizied howling over Secretary of State Karen Handel's rejection of Democratic PSC candidate Jim Powell continues.

For some of the firebreathers, the rhetoric has moved beyond comparisons to infamous Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to an affinity with third world dictators.

Fueling some of the anger is the apparent weirdness of the situation. So, let's take a layman's look at what the law says and if it answers three of the more popular inquiries.

Why would Handel submit the case to an Administrative Law Judge if she was just going to reject the decision?

Simply put, because the law requires it. O.C.G.A. 21-2-5 states "Upon his or her own motion or upon a challenge being filed, the Secretary of State shall notify the candidate in writing that his or her qualifications are being challenged and the reasons therefor and shall advise the candidate that he or she is requesting a hearing on the matter before an administrative law judge of the Office of State Administrative Hearings pursuant to Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Title 50 and shall inform the candidate of the date, time, and place of the hearing when such information becomes available. The administrative law judge shall report his or her findings to the Secretary of State."

Now here is where it gets weird. The law also allows the Secretary to modify or completely reject the Administrative Law Judge's finding. O.C.G.A. 50-13-41(e)(1) states "A reviewing agency shall have a period of 30 days following the entry of the decision of the administrative law judge in which to reject or modify such decision." In this case the "reviewing agency" is the Secretary herself. As strange as it sounds, she doesn't have to abide by anything the ALJ says.

So why have the Administrative hearing at all?

Because that particular hearing is the last place where evidence can be entered into the record. An ALJ has the power to subpoena, call and question witnesses. The hearing is the record of all evidence in the case. Following the hearing, that record is only item reviewed. No further evidence can be entered.

So what's next?

As we saw today, Powell exercised his right to petition the court for a stay. Once again, we return to O.C.G.A. 21-2-5: "The elector filing the challenge or the candidate challenged shall have the right to appeal the decision of the Secretary of State by filing a petition in the Superior Court of Fulton County within ten days after the entry of the final decision by the Secretary of State." Powell was granted the stay and now has the right to a review. There is no jury. There is no one present unless the judge wants them. The judge only reviews the record from the hearing. Critically for Powell, the judge is not allowed to contradict the Secretary of State's determination of the weight of the evidence. In fact, the judge is only allowed to either affirm the decision or remand for further review unless there has been a pretty drastic violation. A reversal is allowed only if the "substantial rights of the appellant have been prejudiced because the findings, inferences, conclusions, or decisions of the Secretary of State are: In violation of the Constitution or laws of this state; In excess of the statutory authority of the Secretary of State; Made upon unlawful procedures; Affected by other error of law; Clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative, and substantial evidence on the whole record; or Arbitrary or capricious or characterized by an abuse of discretion or a clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion."

Clearly tests 1-4 are not applicable. Test 5 (erroneous view of evidence) is where the Powell case lies and that's going to be a tough row to hoe.

So, the bottom line is what Secretary Handel did could be labelled partisan, even dirty, but based on the evidence so far it certainly was within procedure. And given the fairly high standard for reversal, Powell's chances of remaining on the ballot seem to be slim.

More Primary Stuff

The Atlanta Press Club has video of all the debate held over the weekend.

Check them out here: Atlanta Press Club Debates
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Also Democratic PSC candidate Jim Powell whose residency had been challenged has been disqualified by Secretary of State Karen Handel. What makes the Powell case so unusual was an Administrative Law Judged had ruled Powell a legitimate resident of the PSC 4th.

Naturally, Democrats are far from happy about this twist.

The crux of the conflict is in the bowels off residency law OCGA 21-2-27:

Section 14 states: "The specific address in the county or municipality in which a person has declared a homestead exemption, if a homestead exemption has been claimed, shall be deemed the person's residence address".

But then Section 15 states: "For voter registration purposes, the board of registrars and, for candidacy residency purposes, the Secretary of State, election superintendent, or hearing officer may consider evidence of where the person receives significant mail such as personal bills and any other evidence that indicates where the person resides".

Powell currently has homestead in Cobb County but receives mail and spends a considerable amount of time in his future home of Towns County.

A reading of the Administrative Law Judge's decision shows he deemed the considerable evidence of Powell's time in Towns to overpower the requirement of section 14.

Handel in her overrule stood squarely on section 14 stating Powell could have easily transferred homestead earlier in order to meet the 12 month residency requirement.

Although this particular decision is rare, its kind is not. The bottom line is Handel's decision was probably flavored by partisanship but it is based on an interpretation of the law which is arguably correct. For a politician, being able to snooker opponents while the law stands firmly as a backstop is the ultimate gotcha. It is the way things work in the real world and both sides do it.

Already some are floating comparisons of Katherine Harris. Honestly, some horses need holding here. Handel may be partisan. But she ain't crazy and she ain't incompetent. And the PSC, no matter how dear, sure as hell isn't the President of the United States.

UPDATE: According to comments at Tondee's, a Fulton Superior Court judge has issued a stay and placed Powell back on the ballot. The betting window is now open! Step right up Democrats! I'm even willin to offer odds that Powell will eventually be disqualified.

Loaf has confirmation.

The Endorsements

A reminder of how things work. If it receives an endorsement it means I would vote in that manner. Issues and candidates are viewed through a prism of moderate sensabilities with a bent towards libertarian ideology. Most importantly, the Mule Rule will be generously employed.

Since it's a partisan primary with so few administrative positions or incumbents, the hitching post will likely be spared.

Now, let the blood flow.

Democratic Senate Primary - Vote Josh Lanier. Once the realization you are voting for a sacrificial lamb sinks in, the only rational process is to vote your conscience, your gut or just throw some random limb in the air and see which way it flops. So, let's see what we got. Three way. Cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Underseasoned arrogance. Sweet but dull. And Kinky Friedman. Weird is as weird does. Kinky gets my lever pull.

Dekalb CEO Democratic Primary - Vote Burrell Ellis. There's no Republican opposition so this one's for the whole ball of wax. The bad news is Burrell (it just rolls off the tongue) will likely let the bar hours rollback happen. The good news is he actually shows up to things and he's not Vernon Jones. Stan Watson is an interesting candidate but given the importance of this race and the lack of enthusiasm among the electorate, his penchant for not showing up to the debates is disturbing. Stan, we hardly knew ye. Ann Kimbrough is Vernon Jones Chief of Staff and has the keys to his political machine. Enough said. Ellis despite our differences on the critical issue of the late night drink knows the commission, knows the commissioners and knows how the county runs. Oh well, I guess the Mule Rule is kind of in effect.

10th District Republican Primary - Vote Paul Broun. Jesus. All Jesus, all the time. How Republican is the 10th? The two candidates actually debated over who loved Jesus more. Sources say Jesus was busy elsewhere. Paul Broun is a weird dude. On the one hand he votes for medical marijuana and with the other tries to get Playboy banned on military bases. Well, at least with the Maui Wowey vote he shows a whimper of supporting the individual. Unlike his opponent. So, pull for the strange Doctor from Oconee. Noseplugs will be handed out at the door.

5th District Democratic Primary - Vote John Lewis. If you don't, you are insane.

12th District Democratic Primary - Vote John Barrow. Once I inquired to an insider Democrat on the primary challenges to Barrow and Marsall. The response was "we just want to push him a little". I warned "be careful you don't push him right over to an R". The clincher in this race was a comment at Blog For Democracy stating John Barrow "is one of the most extreme right members of the Congress (in a moderate district)". Okaaaaaaaay. Actually, John Barrow is a moderately conservative Democrat in a moderately conservative district who still votes with his party the vast majority of the time. This vote should favor reality. Always a positive in these parts.

House District 80 Democratic Primary - Vote Keith Gross. Oh wait. Nevermind.

House District 81 Democratic Primary - Vote Chris Huttman. Republican Jill Chambers, even with her district trending Democrat, even with fellow Republicans boiling about her opposition to Dunwoody, will not be beat. However, Huttman gives them a puncher's chance. Besides, anytime some yammering blogger (possibly under the effects of chemicals) begins ranting about this and that, Huttman usually stops by to provide a comfortable straight jacket of facts. We got to support our own, right?

City of Dunwoody - Vote for incorporation. Yes, yes, I know. I've been one of the screaming in the winds prophets against the continued breaking of the Atlanta hegemony. And yes, I understand that the "citizens" of Dunwoody are so caught up in the euphoria of citifying, they don't really understand the risks and the costs of this venture. But the bottom line is Dunwoody, unlike the Frankenstein chimeras of Johns Creek and Milton, actually acts like a city. It has a paper (granted a certain bow-tied Napolean editor will probably profit from newly required legal notices). It argubly has a city core. It has an identity. So, let them have their new set of tinker toys. Later when one gets jammed up a nostril, we can all laugh at the crying.

Did I forget any? There are a shocking number of important elections tomorrow, yet sadly only 30% will vote. Don't be part of the ignorant 70%.

Yugoslavia In Forsyth

Now that's funny.

And for the record, I absolutely adore townships. And the fact that a county the size of Forsyth elects commissioners county wide is nothing short of insane.

And this will probably get me accused of being a Democrat again. (Even though many Republicans also support townships)

h/t: Jmac

Things I Missed

Things I missed while snorkling in the the Gulf of Mexico.

Rand Knight pays almost as much for his haircuts as I do.

Keith Gross hangs on but the grim reaper is near. And the crowd goes...on snoozing.

Despite the departure of Three Way, Dekalb refuses exclusion from the weird with the Chris Huttman/Cecilia Hailey hatefest. Thanks to Hailey, I now have an image of Chris in a red dress stuck in my head.

And not wanting to be left out, the Republicans started their own fray.

Local TV news is still the best entertainment in town. In a can't stop watching a train wreck kinda way.

And finally, as I lazed in the warm Gulf waters, worried harpoons might start flying at my pale white belly, I realized I completely forgot about the Statesboro Herald Senate Debate. Well, none of you went either so pbffttttt! (Flack did watch it on the intertubes though)

Now, y'all come back Monday for the 100% guaranteed (we just ain't sayin' what we guantee) griftdrift endorsements.

Until then, there's stupiding to do.

Goin' South

Scallops are in season and I'm heading down 75. See you when I get back...maybe.

My Morning Wooten

Game over, man.

Jim argues for another term of an actual Bush. Not the philosophical extra term flogged by Obama. An additional term by someone named Bush with similar policies as the current Bush.

Is there anything left to write?

Saturday Stupids

Brother can you spare a stupid?

The Solemn Moment

232 years later, the solemnity of that one crucial moment, the birth of something completely new, echoes still.

Disappearing In The Night

A little over one week ago, upstart Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Rand Knight received the endorsement from the Georgia Association of Educators. Given Knight's relative underdog status, the blessing of one of the Democratic Party's cornerstone constiuencies surprised many.

Two days ago, a prominent Georgia blog reported a story claiming Democratic Party of Georgia officials subsequently pressured members of the GAE selection committee to retract the endorsement. The story claimed the information was provided by anonymous sources and gave no additional confirmation. It was then cross-posted on a prominent Republican leaning blog.

The following day, the story was picked up by a prominent Democratic blog but the entry was later updated to include an alledged denial by once again anonymous sources within the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Sometime between Wednesday night and the wee hours of the morning of July 3rd, without any explanation, all traces of the original stories disappeared.

UPDATES: DPG official Martin Matheny states any allegations of the party attempting to influence the GAE to retract an endorsement are false. He also states he does not know the reason the stories were removed but suspects the authors realized it was important to only print the truth.

Also, Georgia Politics Unfiltered, the blog which published the original story, has printed a full retraction and apology.

My Hometown Headlines

Not dead, just intoxicated

A Moultrie woman called police on Tuesday, thinking there might be a dead body in her yard. As it turned out, it was her intoxicated grandson who was charged by police after he refused to cooperate with them.

Full story here.

Rep. Hank Johnson Interview

Videos abound!

Our friend and fellow "Conscientious Objector in the Culture War" Will Hinton interviewed 4th District Congressman Hank Johnson.

Above is Part I. Mark sure you follow the link and check out the rest.

Huge Registration Numbers

Republicans can't be happy about this.

The number of Georgia voters has increased by 300,000 since the first of the year, with more than 4.7 million people on the active rolls for the July 15 primary, according to data released Tuesday.

Could conditions number 3 and 4 actually happen?

Not according to Rasmussen. But still...

Dekalb CEO Debate

There's an important race on July 15 and it's not for U.S. Senate.

In the past 24 years, Dekalb County has had exactly three Chief Executive Officers. An extremely powerful but controversial position, many talk of altering or even eliminating the position in favor of a more traditional county chair. Yet, it is difficult to argue with that kind of stability. Once a CEO is elected, they tend to stay.

Since there is no Republican opposition in this race, the Democratic Primary will determine the County's next poobah. And no one seems to care.

Rusty of Georgia Podcast Network attended the recent CEO debate between candidates Burrell Ellis, Ann Kimbrough, Joe Bembry and Steen Miles (Stan Watson did not attend) and provides video of the entire event.

Above is the segment on the critical issue of the police funding. You can find the rest at Georgia Podcast Network. Watch. Learn. Choose wisely.

Songs In My Head

Statesboro Senate Debate Confirmed

The previously mentioned potential debate in Statesboro is now confirmed.

Democratic candidate Senate debate sponsored by the Statesboro Herald.

July 8th
7:00pm
Ogeechee Technical College
Joe Kennedy Building Auditorium

Confirmed to attend are Dale Cardwell, Josh Lanier and Rand Knight.

Jim Martin and Vernon Jones have yet to confirm.

Florida Crude

Kevin Spear of the Orlando Sentinel does a good job of presenting both sides in the debate regarding off shore drilling on the Florida gulf coast. Reasonable people who are tired of hearing all the crazy talk would be well served to check it out.

My two favorite "myths" each side rolls out:

Oil rigs in the Gulf will disrupt the pristine view from the beach - The rigs are at least 50 miles out. On a good day you can only see 20 miles to the horizon. No snowbird basking on the sugar sand will ever know they are there.

There's plenty of oil in the gulf - According to the article one estimate has the entire east Gulf reserve containing a whopping half year supply based on current consumption rates. Those in certain talk radio circles would have you believe all that is required is sticking a straw through the silt to slake our thirst. But on two things everyone with sense agrees - we don't really know how much is out there and it will take a minimum of five years, more likely ten, to reach production. Consider these factors the next time you hear some loon ranting that drilling in the gulf will cause the price of gas to magically drop.

At the end of the day, it is a complex issue where both sides tend to roll out their pet myths. The only defense against the vapors of fear is education. Use it.

Strange Rumblings In Democrat Land

Unfortunately, I missed the Fox 5 Democratic Senate Debate yesterday. Spain and Germany were playing in a little game across the pond and somehow it seemed more important.

I am now very sad because Vernon Jones finally showed up to something.

You can catch a recap by checking the live blogging at Tondee's Tavern.

Gay marriage, always fun for a roll in the mud, came up and according to those who did watch, Jim Martin opposes it. Decaturguy, in comments at Blog For Democracy, asks an important question. What was the context? Having not seen it, I can't say.

But it certainly is interesting the day after this declaration, members of the local LGBT community are holding a fundraiser for Martin. Methinks Jim might have some tough questions to answer. Or is this a case of certain Democratic thought process I've noticed over the years - we don't care as long as we win except when we do care. Sometimes it is difficult to determine when a candidate gets a pass and when they don't.

In other Senate news, the Democratic candidate with seemingly the most steam is young Rand Knight. As noted here and elsewhere, he recently received endorsements from two organized labor heavyweights. According to sources, this is a pure case of "froggy went a courtin'" but considering the closeness of these allies to the DPG this has to somewhat irk the powers that be. Knight also got a mention by Martha Zoller on this week's "The Georgia Gang". She labeled him as "interesting".

Where does this all go? Nobody knows. All eyes are still on Martin and Jones, but this is a strange year, bubba. Anything might happen.

Finally, down in the house races, the state's two most prominent progressive website, Tondee's Tavern and Blog For Democracy, are in a tizzy over the Augusta Chronicle's report on current 10th District congressman Paul Broun's "sordid" (actually not that atypical) past. My first thought is, didn't we hear all this before? Except it came from Republicans in the last primary.

The bar brawler in me enjoys seeing somewhat placid Democrats pull out the brass knuckles but I do wonder if this is really a path they are ready to tread?

15 days until the primary. It's only going to get weirder, my fellow travelers.

A Couple of Updates: Jen clarifies in the comments that the gay marriage question was a simple no.

Decaturguy on his blog clarifies why he thinks this is a little more nuanced than first blush. But also points out Martin should clarify his position pretty fast.

And Jason has video of the whole thing. So you can see for yourself!

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Vernon Jones first television ad.

It appeared three times on this morning's Georgia Gang.

Jim Martin's first ad may be boring as hell, but at least it doesn't look like a cheap infomercial.

"Why is food so high?"

"Why does everything keep going up but my paycheck?"

"It's because of gasoline prices!"

It all begs the question. Besides billboards and cheap tv spots, on what is all that campaign war chest being spent?

My Morning Wooten

Guns and butter edition.

Imagine that. The Second Amendment is real. We can keep and bear arms. Now let’s agree that when a gun is used to commit a crime, the problem is with the shooter and not with the weapon.

Have some straw with your man, Jim. Or are you actually insane enough to advocate removing stricter sentences for crimes perpetrated with a gun? What exactly does the N.R.A. have on you?

Before Barack Obama tries his skills of persuasion on a bad guy who threatens us —- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, no preconditions —- he should test them on a seriously bad guy who doesn’t —- Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. Today’s runoff election there is an international joke. Fearing for his life, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn. The U.S. can sputter in outrage, but our obligation is to deal with the bad guys whose existence threatens us.

Like Saddam Hussein?

Two state senators of substance, one D, one R, opt out of the Gold Dome Games. Michael S. Meyer von Bremen (D-Albany) —- a former minority leader and one of two Democrats whom Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle allowed to chair committees —- qualified this week to run for a vacancy on the Georgia Court of Appeals.

This surprises and saddens me greatly. Rep. Meyer von Bremen was one of the few fresh voices under the Gold Dome.

Headline: “Former president willing to help Obama campaign.” The former president is Bill Clinton. Help? Make Hillary the food taster.

Whooo! That's a real knee slapper, Jim. I can't decided which is funnier - the implication someone may try to poison Senator Obama or that we would all be better off if Senator Clinton were dead. High comedy there.

Jim Durrett, executive director of the Liveable Communities Coalition, writing in support of the Beltline rail project, reflects the ancient view that those of us who live beyond I-285 are all trying to get to Atlanta’s downtown. Writes he: “We’ve spent the past 40 years building suburbs that are beginning to look unsustainable at $4 a gallon.” We of the “suburbs” are neighbors, not dependents, and when the state devises a transportation plan that moves us where we need to go, instead of just to Atlanta’s downtown, or in a circle around it, we’ll sustain ourselves just fine. Boss, we ain’t your young’uns.

And we of the "city" are your neighbors, not your suckling teat. So you won't mind if we ask you to pay to park at places like Doraville and Chamblee MARTA station will you, Jim? All those Gwinnett cars must jam into the Marta lots just so their occupants can catch a cab back outside the perimeter.

The Justice Department’s inspector general says recruiters improperly used “political or ideological” considerations to find and hire conservative interns. Ideology can be considered in recruiting political appointees, but not otherwise. Justice officials should get more sophisticated in screening to hire conservatives. Anybody doubt that colleges and employers look for the codes in applications and essays to achieve diversity? Ideological diversity is important, too

The report concludes that quality standards were sacrificed solely for the sake of ideological purposes. In other words, what conservatives have for decades bleated against regarding affirmitive action. The difference this time it is their people seeking favor for the sake of "diversity". How quaint.

Oh and Jim, the Inspector General didn't just find it "improper". In two cases, the report concluded the action was possibly illegal.

Selah.

Heller

The word regulate appears exactly three times in the U.S. Constitution - twice in reference to commerce and once in regard to an armed citizenry.

Despite the First Amendment explicitly stating "Congress shall make no law", we accept restrictions on speech every day, however, mention restricting the ownership of guns and some suggest we cross a rubicon of government intrustion on the individual. It is a confusion which abounds, shockingly has never been addressed by our highest court and ultimate clarity rests on the strange construction of our most discussed federal law.

The Second Amendment may be the most tortuous clause in an aged document laced with dated verbage and 18th century mannerisms. Filled with commas and awkward phrases, it seems to simultaneously grant the government the ability to regulate arms for the purpose of defense yet absolutely states the right of the people shall not be infringed.

With the ever escalating heat of the gun debate, most on both sides ignore this critical nuance. With backs arched, the absolutists either claim all regulation is unconstitutional or claim regulation all the way to prohibition is perfectly reasonable.

Both are wrong and despite the political spin you will hear over the next few days, Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the majority in Heller brilliantly explains why.

...the most natural reading of ‘keep Arms’ in the Second Amendment is to “have weapons...The term was applied, then as now, to weapons that were not specifically designed for military use and were not employed in a military capacity...Putting all of these textual elements together, we find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation...Thus, we do not read the Second Amendment to protect the right of citizens to carry arms for any sort of confrontation, just as we do not read the First Amendment to protect the right of citizens to speak for any purpose.

The majority ultimately decides that indeed government regulation is allowed in order to maintain security (the underlying purpose of the first portion) but cannot result in an absolute prohibition of individual ownership of firearms (the underlying principle of the second portion).

The District of Columbia with its absolute prohibition of handguns, as Justice Scalia referencing Miller states, weapons "in common use at the time", obviously uses the first clause of the amendment to attempt the utter destruction of the second clause.

Guns will continue to be regulated. However, regulation cannot overwhelm the ultimate right to bear arms. In the majority's view, even though it strongly avers the individual right, both must live in harmony.

It is in those harmonic moments where we discover the brilliance of the founders - radicals all but absolutists none. Whether "strict constructionist" or advocate of a "living document, all must understand the underlying principle of our greatest document is idealism tempered by reason.

Through this philosophical filter, Justice Scalia shows the Second is not so discordant after all. In fact, it sings.

Senate Debate Organizing In Statesboro

In the past three months, Democratic candidates aiming to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss attended debates in Athens, Atlanta and even Cumming. The lack of attention to middle and south Georgia has not passed unnoticed.

The Statesboro Herald is attempting to coax the pols to parts south of Hartsfield-Jackson.

The publication confirmed it is in the beginning stages of organizing a debate tentively scheduled for July 8th. Herald reporter Phil Boyum states Josh Lanier, Dale Cardwell and Rand Knight have agreed to appear. Jim Martin has not guaranteed attendance but expressed a desire to participate. Dekalb CEO Vernon Jones, not surprisingly, has offered no response.

Details will be published as they are released.

Senate Roundup

Only three weeks until the Senate Primary. Let's see what's going on.

As you can see above, Jim Martin has his first TV ad. If you are having a strange sense of deja vu, you must have been here for the 2006 Lt. Governor's race.

Rand Knight caught another (non)union endorsement. Piled on top of the recent AFL-CIO support, Knight's gathering the GAE to the fold leaves some scratching their heads. JMac attempts to explain. However he got them, Knight's transformation from a guy who seemed to drink too many Red Bulls to legitimate contender is startling. Someone on that campaign must be doing something right.

The AJC caught up with the three amigos. That story seems awfully familiar. But I doubt the boys care as they sop up press like a field full of cotton.

Josh has not returned my call yet. He's possibly running around south Georgia gathering his collections from his "Donate To Me" coffee cans placed at various convenience stores.

I don't know how the hell to get in touch with Cardwell for comment. Hey Dale! Help a brother out! Given your previous comments on unions, I'm sure you have something to say about fellow amigo Knight's recent coups.

As far a Three Way. As noted by your humble scribe and recently by the Georgia Gang, he still has a lot of signs in south Georgia and not a lot of noise elsewhere. Probably best that way.

Selah.

Tail Wagging

And the poisonous seep begun with Sandy Springs continues to spread. With each day it becomes more difficult to contain the hate.

Dunwoody votes on cityhood next month and now some yammering suit in Buckhead pictures himself standing alongside radicals Sam Adams and John Hancock.

No one is happy with the final gasps of Mayor Millilou's term. Whether your personal gripe is strange accounting practices, increased water bills due to the drought or the recent rise in crime, when Creative Loafing and Dick Williams agree, the water is starting to boil.

But those who feel the hot zephyrs of passion should be careful which tack they take. Victory in the creation of Buckhead City could be short lived as most doubt the central Atlanta core can survive any more shavings of the tax fat.

The aforementioned yammering suit Glenn Delk wishes to call forth stirring images of our founding revolution. He would be wise to heed another symbol from that time, the separated snake which must hang together or hang separately, or his new found Buckhead City could become the tail which twitches lifelike after the loss of the head until it also falls still.

Don't Vote

Every day I wish I could produce a teardrop of satire equal to the firehose which was George Carlin. I'd wish him Godspeed but I'm afraid his spirit would punch me in the face.

Sunday Strangeness

Heard about this yesterday. Just watch.

Saturday Stupids

A stupiding we will go

My Morning Wooten

We're gonna have some fun today.

Oh, yeah, Shirley, sure. Cut the check. Atlanta taxpayers and utility customers are at the limit of their tolerance on taxes, and therefore the feds should cut a check. People want to know, she told a U.S. Senate committee, “why didn’t the federal government help us more?” The Atlanta mayor also thinks Georgia should raise the gas tax to help. Don’t tax me; tax thee to help me. Spend.

Hey Jim, I'm a spending-hawk too. So, instead of carping the same old line about "tax, tax, tax", tell me your list of spending cuts and let's get to work. Maybe we can start with Chastain which Atlanta subsidizes and is enjoyed greatly by many a freeloading suburbanite. I bet we can come up with a whole list of cuts composed only of services cherished by many a Cobbite and Gwinettian.

Oh, goodness. Barack Obama’s in trouble with the lefties. He smokes. Cigarettes. He can’t be president. Hillary declared the White House a smoke-free zone in 1993.

Next - the political perils of toe-picking.

Wall Street Journal reporters generally know what they’re hearing when conducting interviews about taxes, business and the economy. The outlook Barack Obama offers “appears like a return to an older-style big-government Democratic platform skeptical of market forces,” news reporters write. Change. To yesterday. But then those who have listened to him already know that.

Darn that liberal media! They've even managed to brainwash some fine conservatives into the belief that this election is too important for the old scare mongering. Wait a minute...

Raul Castro, in what is being called his “boldest break yet from socialism,” directs state companies to develop a salary structure that pays hard workers more than slackards. Pay for performance. What a novel idea. One day even the teachers unions in this country will take the bold break from socialism. The view of the National Education Association is that merit pay “undermines the collegial relationship among teachers.” It will in Cuba, too, when the loafers discover that the performers have bigger paychecks. They’ll either work harder or organize.

We always knew those shepherds of our children were really communists! Organized labor has always been a front for infilitrators of the Red Menace! Send the company men to the coal mine to root out those troublemakers!

Seriously though. If you haven't noticed the right's predilection for rolling out the golden oldie called the "red scare" this election cycle, you aren't paying very close attention.

Hmmm. Would we prefer to have the third term of George W. Bush, as Obama refers to the McCain candidacy, or the second term of Jimmy Carter, as McCain describes an Obama presidency? Easy call.

Actually, most of us prefer living in 2008 with all its possibilities. Most. Not all, but most.

But it’s true. The effort by Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia to restore voting rights to felons is an effort to kick up the Democratic vote. Except for former state school Superintendent Linda Schrenko and former state Rep. Robin Williams, both Augusta-area Republicans, all the people in jail are Democrats, wrongly convicted, too. I’m sure of it.

Yes, yes. Nothing but Democrats packed into the hoosegows. Enron. Duke Cunningham. Scooter Libby. Jack Abramoff. Etc., etc., etc. Lord, how the Democratic Party will swell when felons are allowed to vote!

Pike Family Nurseries has to be kid-friendly. Its former CEO is one.

Huh? An ironically childish riposte regarding the former executive's arrest for sexual battery (must be a Democrat!)? Well, at least we get a little criticism of a local company by the AJC - more than we ever hear about a certain sugar water slinger.

Selah.

Atlanta Street View!

Google Maps has FINALLY added Atlanta to Street View.

As you can see from the above, the usual pigeons were not on the patio the day the cameras came by. But those plastic adirondacks? Yeah, we put 'em there.

I also checked out my house and my car was in the driveway. Kinda creepy!

My Morning Wooten

We're going to focus on one salient point this morning, gentle readers.

The problem is that much of the country seems to be unaware of the 60s and 70s, while many of those who are still cling to the era. The old-timers of the flower-children generation want one last Woodstock on the White House grounds before they go...But the question, really, is to identify something in Obama’s promise of “change” that represents actual change.

You may be right, Jim. You may be crazy. But you definitely ignore the point that most Americans understand exactly what happened in the past eight years.

An unneeded war. Foreign policy which wrecked the only remaining superpower's standing in the world. Attempts at suspending habeas corpus for U.S. citizens. Torture.

We could go on but instead let us roll that last word around the consciousness for a moment.

There are a great number of people in this country who understand exactly what change means.

Fever Dreams

Ahhh the joys of pain killers.

With Obama wrapping up the nomination, my current state of mind caused me to recall this.

The first, despite the furious mental masturbation of all the political junkies, never happens. The last brokered convention was the Democrats in 1952. The refinement of the primary process carefully shepherded by the new class of profressional political rustlers has pushed the possibility of some open political brawl into the realm of fever dreams of the deluded.

I haven't been right about many things lately but I sure nailed that one. Now I will reward myself with another Ben-Gay pain patch.

Goofy

Yesterday, I twisted my shoulder pretty badly. It's the same shoulder I twisted just last month. Nothing so serious to require a doctor visit but annoying as hell. So now I have a BenGay patch on my back and am gobbling OTC ibuprofen like they are skittles.

Later this afternoon, when the bats arrive, I'll begin fearless predictions and faithless ramblings.

PAR-TAY!

Obama opens Florida campaign headquarters in Ybor City.

Playing In Georgia

It's the question rolling around the addled minds of all political junkies - is Georgia in play?

A month ago I painted a scenario where Virginia plays the Florida/Ohio role in 2008. I'm sticking by that prediction but in the past year I also predicted Hillary Clinton would easily win the nomination and James Marlow would make the runoff in the 10th. So you have been warned.

But let's look at Georgia for a moment. Can Barack Obama flip a state which voted overwhelmingly for George Bush in 2004?

For your consideration, four factors which could be difference makers.

Vice President

Pro - It's only a pro for Obama if it is former Sen. Sam Nunn. Otherwise, Georgians probably won't care.

Con - South of Cordele most Georgians receive a mix of Georgia and Florida media. If John McCain selects popular Florida governor Charlie Crist as a running mate, a large portion of the state will see a face on the ticket which may be more familiar than their own Governor.

Bob Barr

Pro - Barr is the biggest name the Libertarian Party has ever nabbed. A native Georgian, he is polling somewhere between 3% and 5%. Some fevered Democrats have actually predicted he could pull 8%.

Con - No Libertarian has received higher than 1.6% of the vote in the last 20 years. Enough said.

Turnout

Pro - Despite a hotly contested Republican race, almost 100,000 more people pulled Democratic ballots in February.

Con - February is not November. A brutal campaign, disaffected Clinton supporters plus the possibility of an October surprise in the form of a Willie Horton style ad campaign gives McCain plenty of ground to gain.

African Americans

Pro - Almost 500,000 African Americans voted in the February primary and almost 90% voted for Obama.

Con - Only about 550,000 African Americans voted in the 2004 general election. It is a huge question whether the primary turnout can be maintained - particularly if Jim Martin knocks Vernon Jones in the July primary.

The first two factors are fairly clear but turnout is the more difficult beast to wrestle. Obama's ability to get so many new voters to the polls blows up most traditional political equations.

So is Georgia in play? Definitely. Maybe. I don't know. But the strange swirl of syncronicity certainly makes it intriguing.

Ramp Meters

The ramp meters are coming! The ramp meters are coming!

Ramp meters are traffic lights that are intended to control the number of vehicles entering and exiting the highway. They are to reduce traffic congestion on the ramps.

Between the Downtown Connector re-paving project and the recent destruction of the venerable 14th Street bridge, Atlanta seems to be swirling in an orgy of transportation experimentation. Now, the already addled speed demons of the autobahns will be forced to pay attention to "stop lights" on interstate on-ramps.

When these silent guardians popped up on my side of the perimeter, I pondered the madness which lay just over the horizon.

I remain cautiously optimistic. Previously, I was skeptical about roundabouts but having seen the effectiveness of the Lullwater/N. Decatur intersection, I am now their advocate. We can all only hope the ramp meters will also exceed expectations.

If not, at least we will have some fun with the new demolition derby mashup.

Tagged

I've been tagged.

Normally, I'm the crusty old bastard who doesn't join in blogger games, but I'll make an exception here. But I won't tag anyone else so the madness can finally stop.

Seven Songs That I Currently Do Not Skip When They Play On My iPod.

1. Let It Loose - The Rolling Stones
2. Oh! Sweet Nuthin - The Velvet Underground
3. Many Rivers To Cross - Jimmy Cliff
4. Goodbye - Steve Earle
5. Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine
6. Outshined - Soundgarden
7. She - Gram Parsons

End tag.

Saturday Stupids

Return of the stupids.

A short detour to the Creative Loafing Beer Fest then back to the lodge hall.

What The Hell Is That Thing?

Rusty and Amber explore east Georgia.

Birds, water towers and lubrication. What more could you want?

Pascoe-Perez Joins Lanier Campaign

Recently resigned Democratic Party of Georgia Vice Chair for Constituent Services Virgilio Pascoe-Perez has joined the campaign of Senate Candidate Josh Lanier as Chairman.

The candidate responded to inquiry on the "hire" with the usual wit.

Virgilio and I started a conversation when I first formed the exploratory committee in October '07 and it continues to this day. We've become great friends and talk daily about the issues, the future of America and this campaign. I trust and respect his judgement. I asked him to be Chairman so that he'd feel obligated to keep taking my calls.

Words For The Day

"Some people will say that words like "scum" and "rotten" are wrong for objective journalism which is true but they miss the point."